In my last post, I neglected to mention that Arc-Zone.com is on YouTube with some great how-to welding videos.
Our most popular video so far, is How To Build A Water Cooled TIG Torch. Arc-Zone.com founder Jim Watson will take you through the steps to putting your torch together… and you’ll get a sneak peek at Rachel, our own Roxy Fuel (welding posters and calendars coming soon).
Another great tip from Weldcraft®
Avoid porosity by maintaining tight TIG torch fittings and cable connections, using higher gas flow rates, shielding the weld area from wind and cleaning your base metal.
Joe Welder™ usually recommends a gas lens too:
One of the best improvements you can make to the performance of your torch is to replace the standard collet body with a gas lens collet body. A gas lens version is an enhanced collet body constructed of a series of concentric, layered screens of varying mesh engineered to improve shield gas coverage. The screens generate a laminar gas flow, optimizing the weld zone coverage and eliminating turbulence, which can draw in contaminants from the surrounding air. It’s especially beneficial with stainless steel and materials such as aluminum and titanium, which are particularly sensitive to oxygen contamination.
A gas lens also allows the tungsten electrode to extend beyond the end of the TIG/GTAW nozzle by as much as 1 in. for improved visibility, reducing tungsten inclusions and weld defects.
More tips available at www.JoeWelder.com
Another great tip from Weldcraft®
For excellent arc starts on low-amperage AC or DC applications, use 2% ceriated tungsten (color code: orange) especially on carbon and stainless steels.
For consistent performance on all metals, and for all machines, Arc-Zone.com recommends our new ArcTime™ Hybrid All Purpose Tungsten:
Professional yacht tower fabricators, manufacturers of aerospace parts, and mountain bike builders have all selected ArcTime™ because of its excellent ignition properties, low burn off rate and longevity. As an added bonus, this hybrid tungsten electrode works well with all power sources and all metals from mild steel to titanium.
“You’ll notice a difference just by striking the first arc– no finer electrode exists anywhere,” says Jim Watson, aka Joe Welder, president of Arc-Zone.com, Inc.
Another great tip from Weldcraft®
Maintaining good electrical contact between your tungsten and collet helps improve current transfer and weld quality. Keep your TIG torch components tightened and check regularly for worn parts.
Got a call from Matt up in North Dakota today. Brrrr. After we compared weather (Bismark 11, Carlsbad, CA 59) and talked politics (it’s Super Tuesday) we got to the real reason he called.
Matt is taking TIG Welding classes, and is setting up his weldshop. He just bought a Lincoln Invertec machine and needed a whole TIG torch set up to go with it.
His first question was “Do you sell Lincoln torches?”
At Arc-Zone.com we frequently get inquiries from customers looking for other TIG torches, or want to know the difference between one brand versus another. They’ve seen a Weldtec torch, or heard about CK or their local welding supplier sells Best Welds. At Arc-Zone.com we sell Weldcraft TIG Torches.
Not all TIG / GTAW welding torches are created equally. One difference is in the quality raw materials used and the quality of the manufacturing process. I can’t think of a specific example with a tig torch, but I have seen, for example, a cheap gas lens that basically was not brazed and the screens were just stuffed in so the gas flow– well– didn’t. And then the thing fell apart.
Both Weldtec and CK are fine brands. I haven’t heard much about the Best Welds brand. It should be noted, however, that many of these TIG Torch brands call themselves “Weldcraft style.” Bottom line is that Weldcraft is an industry leader and innovator, known for quality products.
Weldcraft® is not the cheapest brand in the marketplace, but using the best engineered torches will get you the best performance from your TIG welder.
When it comes to cables and hoses, it’s not just rubber / braided versus vinyl. The tubing all looks the same, but if the insides are not constructed to spec, and are not taut on the inside (which is difficult to see from looking at the cable) you’ll not get good power flow and if the fittings are not constructed well the cable could in fact pull out.
We recommend the rubber mostly because vinyl is really just a fancy word for plastic, and heat and plastic is not a good combination.
Another good tip from the Weldcraft Catalog:
Maintaining good electrical contact between your tungsten and collet helps improve current transfer and weld quality. Keep your TIG torch components tightened and check regularly for worn parts.
By the way… Arc-Zone.com carries a full line of replacement parts, including collets, collet bodies, gas lens collet bodies and even tungsten for your TIG / GTAW torch.
The WP-26 is not a new TIG/GTAW welding torch, but as part of the Contractor’s Kit you can purchase with your Miller it is one of the more popular in the Weldcraft line. It is an air-cooled torch, and accepts tungsten from .020″ to 5/32″ diameter making this welding torch well suited for heavy duty field work.
-Five torch options to meet a variety of needs
-200 amp air-cooled capability
-Flexible neck, gas control valve options available
Read the WP-26 Press Release from Weldcraft or purchase your own WP-26 TIG Torch Package at Arc-Zone.com.
The bike on the left is a photo of a custom chopper done by one of our favorite customers, David Anthony Customs…
check out some of his other handiwork. He has become quite good at TIG welding and some of his designs are pretty extreme!
If you’re into building custom choppers, or want to learn how it’s done, check out this website, Custom Chopper Guide:
The most common problems metalworkers and custom bike builders encounter can cost them countless hours of frustration, and thousands of dollars in wasted material. ‘9 Problems Metalworkers Face When Building A Chopper Frame And How To Overcome Them’ is a special ‘mini course’ that reveals the solutions to these problems.
Novato, CA (PRWEB) June 22, 2007 — Building a chopper frame from scratch is not an easy task for any metalworker or motorcycle builder. Fortunately, the most common problems that metalworkers face as they build a custom chopper frame are answered.
Custom Choppers Guide and BCC Orlando have teamed up and put together a mini-course called ‘9 Problems Metalworkers Face When Building A Chopper Frame And How To Overcome Them’. This valuable new resource will help metalworkers save time and money on their frame-building projects. For example:
Problem #1: What is the difference between common pipe and tubing?
The site offers lots of articles and information and while it appears they have an ad revenue business model (you’ll see lots of adsense ads from Google) they do sell Ron Covell videos and some books as well.
And when you’re ready to fire up the TIG welder, and you’re looking for a high-performance TIG torch set up, check out our lineup of Weldcraft TIG torches, from the super small MicroTIG WP-50 or WP-125 to the popular WP-20 water cooled TIG Torch. We also carry a complete line of tungsten electrodes, welding water coolers, and much more! Give us a call at 800-944-2243.
And yet another TIG Welding Tip:
Check the electrical integrity of any work lead cables, and cable connections and ALWAYS use quality cables. A well constructed cable will maximize power flow and dissipate heat properly.
We generally recommend the Flexible rubber cables instead of the standard vinyl cables for your TIG Torch. (Jim Watson, aka Joe Welder™, always says plastic and heat don’t mix.)
The high flex FeatherLite™ cable from Weldcraft is shown at the bottom left of this photo.
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